Fighter, promoter, youth advocate: Meet James Martinez.
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SFR: Now, wait-what exactly is this event you're putting on?
JM
: It's called Rockfest. Seven bands, all from Santa Fe.
Are you normally a rock promoter?
I have a martial arts school and I met Patrykk [Ortiz, co-promoter] when I first opened up and I had cage matches at Sweeney Center-I've had two of 'em. He owns Signs of Santa Fe and I went in to get some signs and we were just talking and he said he had a band and I asked him if he'd be interested in playing at [cage match] Hell in the Cell. And he came in and played and it went great. He told me he had this idea about a rock festival and I told him 'That's what we gotta do.' It's the same setup as Hell in the Cell except it's gonna be bands.
So it's been the same as setting up a cage match?
Everything's the same. The only thing is there's not gonna be fights. The bands aren't gonna fight [laughs]. You know, they have the Fall Crawl in Albuquerque and we're not trying to take away from them, it just happens to be on the same day, but now people don't have to go all the way to Albuquerque-there's a lot of good talent right here in Santa Fe.
What appeals to you about these particular bands?
That's what I leave to Patrykk. To be honest, I'm not a big rock fan but at my fights there are a lot of people who do like rock music; it goes along with the atmosphere.
Is it a hassle to work with the city to get the Sweeney Center?
No, the city's been great. They don't make it a hassle. Even when I did my first match, I didn't know what to do and they pointed me in the right direction.
I heard a rumor that Mayor Larry [Delgado] is going to announce his re-election bid at Rockfest. I'm picturing him up there with a leather vest on, rocking out…
I don't know anything about it. If he wants to, he's welcome to. I've been wanting to shake his hand.
Are you gonna have beer there? People will want to know that.
Yes.
Is music promotion something you want to continue to do in the future?
I would like to. Just like with my cage fights-they've gone very well-I think this is going to go very well also.
What kind of music do you like?
I like rap music, I like a lot of rock music too-I'm starting to listen to it more, because our commercials are on the radio so I have to listen to those stations more.
When did you get started promoting cage matches?
I've always been into martial arts, ever since I was young. I went into the military and I hurt my neck, so when I got out I went back to what I did, martial arts. I started teaching private lessons out of my house, and then I decided to get a little place. I opened up with very little money. I looked around Santa Fe-it's known for art, and I just don't see people getting a chance. So with my cage fights, I try to help the underdog. Because if you don't know the right people, you're not gonna get a chance to fight at a big show, and my shows are pretty big-they've outsold the other shows that were here. And so with this rock event, I thought, why just promote cage fights-there's bands.
You mentioned how Santa Fe is known for the arts. Is there's a disparity between highfalutin' gallery stuff and the 'real' people who make music?
The way I feel about all that-not just music but cage matches, things like that-if they don't let us in through the front door, we're gonna come in the back. And that's what I want to do for these people. For the kids and everybody.
What's the status of youth in this town in terms of just plain having something to do?
It's anything-not just cage fighting, not just rock music. Give the kids something to do. There's a lot of skateboarders here; why not get some companies around here to come together and build a nice big ramp? Or graffiti, I've seen some great graffiti, why not give the kids a place to do graffiti? Anything to keep kids off the streets. And if there's anyone out there that has an idea and needs a sponsor, shit, I'll help 'em….
I'm hearing an underdog theme here. Do you feel like an underdog yourself?
Not to be cocky, but when I first started, I'm not mentioning any names, but I was the underdog. I got told, 'Oh, you're not gonna make it.' With my first fight, I was sweating it, I was like, 'Oh no, maybe I'm not gonna make it.' But, thank God, it went great. So from there I thought, 'I'm gonna do it again,' and it went better. I see myself now helping out everyone else, not just from Santa Fe, but from Albuquerque, from Las Cruces. I consider myself lucky, but helping out other people.
Rockfest, with bands Eternal Ryde, Affliction, Stone Deep, Savage Wizdom, 13th Floor, Sideshow 59 and Vengence (and beer) begins at 6:40 pm, Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Sweeney Center, 201 W. Marcy St. Tickets are $15, $20 at the door (call 820-2114). Doors open at 5 pm.
